Sheet-starting apparatus.



F. H. HOBERG.

SHEET STARTING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY31. 1916.

1 00,837. 7 Patented Oct. 10, 1916.

Sum tom w: :vomws PETERS co.. FncmLIYNu WASHINGTON. n 1:v

FRANK H. HOBERG, OF GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN.

SHEET-STARTING APPARATUS.

Specification of Lette rs Patent.

Patented Oct. 10, 1916.

Application filed May 31, 1916. Serial No. 100,922.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, FRANK H. Hoennc, acitizen of the United States, residing at Green Bay, county of Brown,and State of Wisconsin, have invented new and useful Improvements inSheet-Starting Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in sheet starting apparatus.

In a companion application bearing even date herewith, for LettersPatent for improvements in paper feeding cabinets, I have disclosed acabinet having a lever operated reciprocatory brush which is moved alongthe surface of a paper package to effect the discharge of the sheetssuccessively through an opening in the lower end of the cabinet.

The object of the present invention is to provide means whereby a brushhaving similar characteristics may be rotatively actuated into and outof contact with the surface of the package to effect the discharge ofthe sheets without any rubbing contact upon the surface of the sheet.Also to provide a less expensive cabinet than that shown in thecompanion application and one which is peculiarly adapted for privateuse.

In the drawings-Figure 1 is a front elevation of a paper feedingcabinetembodying my invention, portions of the front wall being brokenaway to show the interior. Fig. 2 is a sectional view drawn on line 22of Fig. 1 and showing a paper package within the cabinet with dottedlines indi eating the cover section of the cabinet swung to a partiallyopen position.

Like parts are identified by the same reference characters throughoutboth views.

A wall plate 1 having a cap flange 2 isprovided with a packagesupporting bracket 3 under the cap flange. The bracket 3 is providedwith converging sides adapted to engage in. slots 4 formed in a paperpackage 5, whereby the bracket embraces a dovetailed stub 6 partiallysevered from the package by said slots 1. A cover 7, pro-' vided withside flanges 8, is hinged to the cap flange 2 at 10 and the wall plate 1is preferably provided with side flanges 12 over which the flangescarried by the cover is provided with a knob to fully are adapted to fitwhen the cover is in closed position. The wall of the cover near itsupper end'is arched outwardly, as shown at 13, and the side flanges 8are provided with diagonal slots 1 1 through which an operat- One end ofthe shade ing shaft 15 projects.

16, whereby the shaft may be rotated. The slots 14: are inclineddownwardly in the direction of the back plate 1, so that the shaft 15tends to slide toward the back plate.

Cylindrical members 20 are mounted upon the shaft 1.5 on opposite sidesof the bracket 3 and a portion of the periphery of each of the members20 is provided with a multiple series of projecting wire filaments orbristles 22 which cover a segmental portion of the cylinder andconstitute a brush. Stiff bristles may be employed, but 1 preferablyform the brush of short strands of wire, the inner ends of which areembedded in the material composing the cylinder 20, while the outer endsare adapted to bear against the front sheet of the paper package 5, asvclearly shown in Fig. 2. By rotating the shaft 15 and cylinders 20 inthe direction indicated by the arrows in Fig. 2, the front sheet will betorn away from the stub 6 and discharged through the lower open end ofthe cabinet. The projecting ends of bent in the direction of rotation,whereby when the shaft 15 and cylinders 20 are rotated-in the directionindicated by the arrows, the wire filaments or bristles will be forcedagainst the front sheet of the package with increasing pressure as thewires tend to stralghten to positions of radial projection.

After the sheet has been torn from the stub, it will be moved downwardlyby the brush until its lower end projects through the open lower end ofthe cabinet, whereupon it may be grasped and pulled out from the cabinetby the user. The brush is located at a suflicient distance from the topof the cabinet and covers a sufficient portion of the surfacesof thecylinders 20 remove the front sheet from the stub and cause its exposureat the lower end each wire will preferably be *charge of the sheets,

- package.

of the cabinet, after which the brush passes out of contact with thepaper so that a further rotation of the shaft and cylinders will notactuate the second sheet until a complete rotation has been performed,whereupon the brush will again be brought into contact with the packagewith the bristles bearing upon the second sheet, the latter beingdischarged in case the rotation of the brush continues.

I preferably form the cylinders with a center core piece a, to whichabrush back 6 containing the bristles may be secured on one side. may bepermanently secured to the core a or detachably connected therewith, asdesired. This construction enables me to remove and replace the brushwithout removing or replacing the members a and 0.

Owing to the inclination of the projecting ends of the bristles in thedirection of normal cylinder rotation, whereby each bristle is inclinedat an intermediate angle diverging both from a tangential line and aradial line projected from the point where the bristle enters thecylinder, it is obvious that the brush is adapted to actuate the paperin one direction only. In case the cylinders are rotated in the reversedirection, the bristles or filaments will slide freely over the surfaceof the paper without actuating it, for they will be drawn with atrailing movement along the contacting surface, whereas when thecylinders are rotated in he proper direction to feed the sheetdownwardly, the points of the wire will, as above stated, tend to forceinto the front sheet and will therefore grip it securely.

I have found by experiments that whereas ordinary rollers provided withrubber surfaces or surfaces of other frictional material will in thecourse of time become too slip-- pery to operate successfully for thedis a brush composed of wire filaments or bristles will maintain itsefficiency indefinitely and will invariably grip and start the frontsheet of paper from the package. I have also found that by leaving aportion of the periphery of each cylinder smooth surfaced, so that thesheet starting operation will take place intermittingly when the shaft15 is otated, I am able to largely prevent the withdrawal of anunnecessary number of sheets from the Users of paper towels are apt towaste the paper if the sheet starter can be operated to continuouslydischarge the sheets, but by providing a form of construction in whichonly one sheet can be started with each complete rotation of theoperating knob 16, the successive discharge of the contents is too slowto tempt the user todischarge an unnecessary quantity.

The smooth surfaced portion c By employing a brush having inclinedbristles as above described, whereby a rotation in the wrong directionwill be ineffective, it becomes unnecessary to provide pawl and ratchetor equivalent mechanism to prevent backward rotation. Also by providingthe shaft supporting member with inclined slotted bearings for theshaft, I am able to dispense with springs by allowing the shaft 15 toslide downwardly and rearwardly in said slotted bearings until thecylinders 20 or the brushes thereon are brought into contact with thefront sheet of the package. For this reason, the package may be allowedto rest against the back plate, since it is not necessary to press itforwardly against the sheet starter. My improved cabinet is thereforeextremely simple and inexpensive. It is'peculiarly adapted for privateuse whereas the cabinet described and claimed in the companionapplication is better adapted for use in public places, such as hotels,etc.

I claim- 1. Sheet starting apparatus, comprising a package support, arotary shaft, supporting members for the respective ends of the shaft,having inclined slotted bearings for said shaft adapted to permit theshaft to slide toward a package of paper suspended from the packagesupport, a cylindrical member carried by said shaft, and a segmentalbrush mounted upon the periphery of the cylindrical member.

2. Sheet starting apparatus, comprising a package inclosing cabinethaving slotted side walls near its upper end, said slots being inclineddownwardly in the direction of the rear wall of the cabinet, a shaftextending across the interior portion of the cabinet and projectingthrough said slots, and a set of brushes having cylindrical curved backssupported on said shaft within the cabinet in positions to bear againsta package of paper therein, said brush having flexible projectingfilaments inclined from the surface of the back in the direction ofnormal shaft rotation.

3. Sheet starting apparatus including the combination with a paperfeeding cabinet having its side walls provided near their upper endswith downwardly and rear- Wardly inclined slots, a shaft extendingthrough said slots and across the interior portion of the cabinet, a setof cylindrical members mounted upon said shaft, and a set of segmentalbrushes carried by said cylinders.

4. Sheet starting apparatus including the combination with a paperfeeding cabinet having its side walls provided near their upper endswith downwardly and rearwardly inclined slots, a shaft extending throughsaid slots and across the interior portion of the cabinet, a set ofcylindrical members mounted upon said shaft, and a set of segmentalbrushes carried by said cylinders, each of said brushes having wirebristles inclined in the direction of normal rotation, and said shaftand cylinders being adapted for rotation in contact with a pack- Gopiesof this patent may be obtained for age of paper inclosed by the cabineton the downwardly moving side of the cylinder.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in the presence of twowitnesses.

FRANK H. HOBERG. Witnesses WVARD E. BLACK, HENRY Gon'rHE.

five cents each. by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.

